In a certain tavern in Orario—one that breathed an air of mystery and a history predating the "Dark Ages"—those bearing the scars of the past or living in the shadows gathered. This establishment served as a venue for clandestine meetings and orchestrated coincidences, a headquarters for bounty hunters and assassins to strike their deals.
Amidst this grim atmosphere, three figures stood out as strangers to the common room: a woman of cold beauty with blue hair, a golden-haired god dressed as a traveler, and a hooded figure in black who concealed his features like a mysterious sorcerer.
"So, what is the news, Asfi?"
"—The presence of believers, thought to be remnants of 'Evilous,' has indeed been confirmed in that desert-bordering city over the past six months."
The speakers in this private room were Asfi Al ANDROMEDA, known as "The Multi-Talented" and captain of the Hermes Familia; her deity, Hermes; and Fels, the sorcerer who served as the right hand to Uranus, the Guild's founder.
"The Black Desert of Dedan, then—"
Fels understood the symbolism of that land perfectly, yet he failed to grasp why the remnants of Evilous would take an interest in it after all this time.
"Why that barren wasteland specifically? There seems to be no reason echoing the Great Conflict from seven years ago."
"The remains of the King of the Sea still function as a seal for the Leviathan and a cover for Lake Lulugh to this day."
Hermes ignored their confusion and began discussing a seemingly unrelated topic, but his next words shook the two experts in "Secrets" standing before him.
"—So, what about the King of the Land?"
"Where do you think the remains of that great beast rest now?"
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Amidst the storm of tyranny unleashed by the Spirits' string quartet, a single spell from a lone human stood to repel the destruction; a mantle of flames, resembling a phoenix, shielded everyone. The scene looked like a page torn from the heart of a legend.
It was a spell considered the most refined, combining offense, healing, and defense at astonishing levels. Although its raw power might have been less than others, its flexibility and adaptability surpassed even the Ariel wind of Ais, which was derived from Great Spirits.
Naturally, no matter how powerful a spell might be, it alone could not repel a fourfold bombardment that even the barriers of Riveria Ljos Alf, Orario's greatest mage, could not withstand.
The secret lay in the Spirit Blessing skill. The Spirits—destined by the Creator Gods to assist heroes—granted their blessing unconditionally to Al, who possessed the incomparable essence of a hero.
This did not refer to the powerful Spirits whose names were immortalized in epics, but rather low-ranking Spirits. These entities lacked intelligence or independent personality, wandering the world as faint natural forces.
Despite their lowly rank, their divine nature was genuine. By uniting countless numbers of these weak blessings, Al possessed unrivaled power when facing any creature of the Spirit race.
The Spirit Blessing skill was the embodiment of this generous support. Just as a Water Spirit robe repels a Crozzo fire sword, and just as amulets negate magical attacks, Spirit powers oppose and neutralize one another. Thus, Al, protected by the blessings of countless Spirits, was virtually immune to any attack of spiritual origin.
Al was the only natural enemy of the Corrupted Spirit.
Furthermore, Al—regarded as the fastest in the city—was accustomed to crushing incantations before they were complete. Despite the massive size of the four Spirits preventing their magic from being fully halted, he succeeded in interrupting more than half of their assaults.
Al alone dominated the field, intercepting magical projectiles that surpassed the longest chants of the strongest adventurers, down to lightning-fast quick-spells.
However, even Al could not eliminate four Corrupted Spirits by himself. Added magic has a duration that eventually expires, and stamina has its limits.
But that was no cause for concern.
The Loki Familia was not a gathering of weaklings content with being protected.
"Everyone! Leave the magical defense to Al! Focus on finishing them off one by one with precision!!"
Under the command of the "Braver," Finn Deimne, whose every prediction had proven true, Ais, Bete, Tiona, Tione, Riveria, Gareth, Raul, and their comrades charged into the decisive battle.
The four Spirits possessed a desperate combat power far exceeding deep-floor Bosses. Ordinarily, a single Familia could not withstand them even by giving their all, but the Loki Familia maintained control over the battle.
This was due to the efficiency of Finn Deimne; his tactical insight and ability to expose enemy weaknesses while directing his comrades were extraordinary.
More importantly, his mere presence bolstered morale. Upon hearing his command, Bete and the others charged without hesitation. Combined with Al's shuttle-like movement across the field to maintain the battle lines, the power of Ais Wallenstein's winds was a decisive factor.
While Al handled the magic, some attacks still slipped through. Here, Ais's winds—which had transcended the limits of her level—stepped in to suppress those strikes.
Ais's winds dominated the battlefield thanks to a double enhancement: the Avenger skill, which raised her abilities against monsters to their peak, and Al's Spirit Blessing, which provided her with exceptional support against Spirits.
Even tentacle strikes that surpassed Boss-level power—blows that could fell a first-class adventurer in a single hit—were completely suppressed by those white winds that broke the boundaries of human strength.
"—O white winds."
Between the black fire of hatred in her heart and the warm winds inherited from her mother, Ais reached a power rivaling that of the Spirits. Since ancient times, Spirits fought alongside the heroes they chose; thus, Ais Wallenstein reached her peak today while fighting beside Al Cranel.
"Ais, incredible—"
"Lefiya! Do not stop chanting—Wyn Fimbulvetr!!"
Suddenly—
"Take thissssssssss!!"
"We did it! Gareth killed one of them!!"
The great Dwarf warrior, with a suicidal strike in which he risked being hit by magic, managed to shatter the parasitic Spirit Power Stone on the venomous moth. Its massive body turned to ash and vanished.
The sight filled their hearts with the certainty of victory.
Of course, there was no complacency or openings. Despite the joy, the senses of the veteran adventurers remained vigilantly fixed on the three remaining Spirits.
However, for a single second, their caution faltered toward anything other than those Spirits.
—That woman had been waiting for her chance. Fear had consumed her heart following two previous defeats; she feared the Sword Saint, and she feared Aria. Therefore, she was certain that the Spirit Incarnations, though possessing power exceeding several first-class adventurers, would not last long against the Sword Saint, regardless of their numbers.
So she waited. She waited for the moment when everyone's attention was completely distracted.
She would kill Aria first. Her death would make delivering her to that woman troublesome, but in the worst-case scenario, her body would suffice. She had to be killed before she directed those black winds toward her. Once Aria was secured, she could deal with the Sword Saint later.
The moment arrived. The second the adventurers were certain of victory, the woman burst at full speed from the core of a man-eating flower where she had been hiding.
After two defeats, she had swallowed massive quantities of Power Stones and donned the Flesh Armor. Her suicidal dash, which tore at her own body, surpassed the reaction speeds of even Finn or Gareth.
Only Al sensed that explosive movement from a body freed of all restraints.
(That corrupted and poisoned Spirit, whose nature has turned, who calls me Aria and wants to eat me just as she did on the 24th floor.)
(This distorted Spirit is strong, and I cannot defeat one alone. But I am not alone now. More importantly, I can fight beside Al!!)
"—!! Ais!!"
"Al? What are—"
What Ais saw was Revis, the red-haired woman who had emerged from the dead flower's mouth—plunging her sword into the chest of Al, who had thrown himself forward to shield her from the blow.
He was the symbol of strength that never fell. He was the powerhouse who was not permitted to break. No matter the monster, the opponent, or the hardship, he always emerged victorious; the undisputed strongest hero of the Loki Familia.
Consequently, the sight of AL falling to his knees caused the members of the Loki Familia to freeze—even Finn lost control of his consciousness at the horror of the scene.
"—T... aah—"
From the deep wound, and from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, pitch-black blood—appearing as if it were rotted—began to flow, while Al's face contorted in agony.
"Ah, Aaaaaaaaaaaaa—STORM!!"
The winds that had lost the hero's blessing returned to their black hue, blasting Revis, who had intended to deliver the finishing blow to Al.
"Riveria!!"
"I have just finished the chant!!—Van Alheim!"
Riveria had begun her incantation the moment the stabbing occurred. She rushed toward the kneeling Al to unleash her third-tier healing magic, Van Alheim—the spell of the city's greatest mage that could bring back even those on the brink of death. But—
"—T... It won't close!!"
On the contrary, the flow of black blood did not stop, as if he were approaching death at an insane speed. Even Al's own added magic fire, which usually healed his wounds upon activation, flickered out as if his magic had been sealed.
"Do not let those weapons touch you, not even for a scratch! It is a curse!!"
Finn screamed, seeing Al's abnormal condition and the ominous nature of the sword that had pierced him. That curse was likely preventing healing and blocking magic. However, Al's appearance also suggested he had been hit by a lethal toxin. There was no poison that could strike down a LEVEL 7 so easily.
"How is this possible?! Curses should not affect Al!!"
"—Heh, I intended to kill Aria first, but you are a fool... If you hadn't protected Aria, an attack of my level could never have pierced your defense."
Revis said as she stood up some distance away after being blasted by Ais, her body covered in moving flesh armor. Her face bore an expression of insult mixed with dark pleasure. With her appearance, the Spirits ceased their movement.
"Enyo told me that the Sword Saint is unaffected by ordinary curses. Indeed, your survival without immediate death proves that the curse alone, or the poison alone, is insufficient against you. But this sword is the HERO KILLER."
She brandished a greatsword with a blade resembling black scales, dripping with a mysterious purple fluid. She spoke with the tone of one certain of victory, as if addressing the dead who would not return to life.
"I, who live in the Dungeon, care nothing for such talk, but this sword was crafted from a Great Beast killed ten years ago in a land called Dedan. A sword of cursed venom processed by a sorcerer of EVILOUS from the remains of that monster. No one but I can even hold it."
"The land of Dedan? Impossible—!!"
Finn was the first to react to the mention of that land. He realized then that this poison truly could kill Al, and a terror swept over him that nearly shattered the mask of The Braver.
"I believe the name of that Great Beast was—The King of the Land, was it not? (The BEHEMOTH)"
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